Recent Trail Reviews

Kern River Parkway Trail

Closure

Kern River Parkway Trail

Great Ride

I have been doing this trail since I moved to Bakersfield 24 years ago. Mostly flat, and in the summer it is very hot. The city keeps the trail clean. There are emergency call phones about every mile. There is water in the developed areas, but if you go to the west there is no water on the west end 8 mile stretch. If you have the desire, you can bike from about I-5 in the valley, all the way to Lake Ming, about 28 miles one-way.

Kern River Parkway Trail

love it.

Kern River Parkway Trail

West end Kern River Bikeway

Started at Chester in BF and rode west. Nice flat trail. Plenty of benches and water fountains along the way. It goes by Cal state BF, and the Brighthouse amphitheater. Once you get past Allen ave, you go into the great wide open called the "Bakersfield 2800" It's 2800 acres of watershed/flood control that I assume is controlled by the state. No water. No toilets. No food for about 10 miles. They have a signed gate that gives you fair warning about this area. You will be in the middle of nowhere. In June, the rattlesnakes come out of hibernation and sun themselves on the warm asphalt. Be on the lookout! You may also encounter foxes, coyotes, squirrels, rabbits, roadrunners and red tailed hawks. The trail finally ends up at Enos lane just north of I-5. Still, in the middle of nowhere.

Kern River Parkway Trail

Nice east end

I started at oak park and rode East toward the Sierras. Nice paved trail with signage and call boxes! Once you get past China Grade Loop, there are 3 parks for you to meander through. Alfred Harrell Highway was not fun to traverse coming back. Once the trail ends at lake Ming, you can hear the cars in the distance on highway 178, but there is no way to get there! You end up in a boy scout campground next to a fenced off golf course. Without a map, IDK how to get to 178 from there.

Kern River Parkway Trail

2015 Comments

I rode this trail 5/1/15 to gain 10 miles of Latitude in my quest to cross America (Canada to Mexico) on Rail Trails only. However, it's not possible to connect rail trails themsleves east-west or north - south so I have dropped the "rail" out of the equation---especially because the Kern River Trail is not a Rail Trail. But it behaves like one with reasonable elevation change like rail trails. I did not see any homeless folks as stated in one of the reviews. The trail bed is smooth and fast. I found the eastern half of the trail as interesting/beautiful as the western half. A southwest wind wrecks havoc with average speed if you ride like I did (east-west). There wasn't a drop of water in the Kern River flood plain. It got to 95 degrees but dry air made it tolerable. Take plenty of water

Kern River Parkway Trail

long trail..has some mtb opportunities

I came over from Ridgecrest and rode about 14 miles of this a couple weeks ago, from the parking area off manor street west to about 2 miles from the I5. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the trail, it is asphalt. At one time it was concrete, you will see the remains of that scraped over to the side into the kern river drainage along the way. What makes the trail fun is that it is essentially flat as a board the entire way so really anyone can enjoy it on a bike from novices on up. The trail can be more 'hilly' towards the eastern end. I have gone out east as far as china grade loop on another occasion but then you have to start using some high speed roads with cars and bailed on that outing. The latest outing i rode on a mtn bike and quickly discovered that for the most part knobby bikes can ride just a few yards off to the side on some nice hard packed dirt. But the trail really shines for roadies i presume. There were some great places to stop and get real food and drink for example there was a shopping area like river walk park to take a break etc. It was very enjoyable and got a good workout as well...highly recommend it

Kern River Parkway Trail

Interesting trail

Lots of different scenery for a Easterner such as myself to see. We took pieces of this trail and connected them to the Round the Mountain trail and Panorama Drive sections to coble together a convenient ride. Trail is well kept and the uphills are manageable. Lots of interesting historical relevance of this trail. Well maintained and some good straightaways.

Kern River Parkway Trail

Wonderful

Very nice trail. You can park at Enos Lane and ride the complete trail, then turn around and go back. Round trip is about 45 miles. Excellent places to stop and rest on the way. Yokut, Beach and River Lake Park are all clean, nice restrooms. Finish Line Bike shop is right on the path, about half way point, if you need energy supplements or bike parts, great staff with years of knowledge. You can also leave the path at numerous locations to veer off and get something to eat or drink. This is one of my favorite rides in Bakersfield.

Kern River Parkway Trail

Fun Ride!!!

I ride this path 3 to 4 days a week... Love Love Love it!! Longest ride was from Calm to Enos and back... It was a long ride but a fun one!!! It's beautiful early in the morning... Don't go alone... there are homeless people in the bushes... They have never bothered me... but it's a little unnerving, nonetheless... I've seen bobcats, snakes, coyotes, jack rabbits, bunnies... etc... the off road trails are my favorite... Lots of fun!!!

Kern River Parkway Trail

really fun bike ride

The entire distance of this bike path is 30 miles if it is taken in entirety to Lake Ming from Enos Lane. It is an up and back bike ride so be prepared to do 60 miles if you need to return. Make sure to get a map because the east end of the bike path goes along roads. It won't be clear which way to go without one. If you want you can stop and turn back when it says end of bike path. That is a 20 mile ride.

The ride goes along the Kern River the whole way and cutting through Bakersfield without any hassle of traffic. It first goes through open conservation land for around 5 miles, then passes through many city parks along the river, by the University, along side canals with many water fowl. Towards the ending of the ride it is in the East Bakersfield foothills which is a very beautiful view of the mountains as it finds it way to Hart Park and then to Lake Ming. It is no longer a flat ride when you get to the hills.

Kern River Parkway Trail

Kern River Trail ride, Spring 2013

I found the trail to be a very pleasant ride through Bakersfield. Much of it follows the mostly dry riverbed and is well maintained. It passes through some industrial areas and numerous parks, as well as an oil field near the northeast end. The terrain is surprisingly diverse, with several small lakes, canals and large bluffs on the route. No significant grades, so an easy ride for riders of all abilities.